Old Coast Guard Station
Hidden GemOld Coast Guard Station is a attraction in Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, best for history buffs, a Boardwalk break, maritime-heritage fans.
Wedged between Boardwalk high-rises at 24th Street sits a small 1903 Life-Saving Station — the Old Coast Guard Station, a museum on the National Register of Historic Places that preserves the story of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, the Coast Guard, and the shipwrecks of the Virginia coast. Its two galleries cover rescue equipment and methods, wrecks along this stretch of the Atlantic, and the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, drawing on a collection of roughly 1,800 artifacts and more than a thousand photographs. Programming runs from a maritime-history speaker series to exhibits on Virginia Beach's own surf culture. It is the quickest history fix on the Boardwalk itself — you can step off the sand and into it. Winter hours are Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 12pm–5pm; hours shift seasonally, so check the official site before visiting.
Amenities
- Two exhibit galleries
- Gift shop
- Research archives
- Guided tours
Know Before You Go
- Best for: history buffs, a Boardwalk break, maritime-heritage fans
- Parking: No dedicated lot — use Oceanfront municipal parking nearby.
- Accessibility: Housed in a small historic 1903 building; contact the museum for current accessibility details.
- Dogs: not allowed
- Location: 24th Street and Atlantic Avenue, on the Boardwalk, Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-10.
More Attractions Nearby
Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum at the de Witt CottageHidden Gem
Built in 1895 as a wedding gift from Bernard Peabody Holland — Virginia Beach's first mayor — to his bride, the de Witt Cottage is the oldest remaining private…
Seashore Cathedral (Rudee Walkway Murals)Hidden Gem
Italian-born artist Giuseppe Percivati, known as Pepe Gaka, painted the support columns of the Rudee Walkway underpass with geometric, stained-glass-style…
The Wave (Laskin Gateway Sculpture)
A 35-foot stainless steel sculpture by Indianapolis artist Jeff Laramore rises out of a 35-foot-wide reflecting pool inside the Laskin Road roundabout, marking…
Brock Environmental CenterHidden Gem
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world — holding both LEED Platinum and full Living…
While You're in the Area
17th Street Surf Shop
Virginia Beach's original surf shop since 1970 — a Pacific Avenue retail store plus Seth Broudy School of Surf camp sessions from 1 to 4 days.
Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant
Beatles-themed pub a block off the beach at 22nd Street — 42 taps, live music, a dog-friendly patio, and a Monday military discount.
- Dog Friendly
- Live Music
- Outdoor Seating
- Military Discount
Adventure Parasail & Rudee Inlet Jet Ski
Virginia Beach's original watersports operator since 1985 — parasailing, jet ski and kayak/SUP rentals, and banana boat rides at Rudee Inlet.
Afishinado Fishing Charters
Capt. Kevin Perry's 31-foot Ocean Master out of Inlet Station Marina — inshore speckled trout and cobia trips, offshore game-fish runs, and seasonal dolphin/whale watching.
Angie's Guest Cottage Bed & BreakfastHidden Gem
An early-1900s former Coast Guard surfmen's boarding house two blocks from the Boardwalk, run under the same family lore that gave it its name.
AquaMan Sportfishing Charters
Two-boat Rudee Inlet charter operation — The Flat Line and The Game On — running inshore, nearshore, and offshore deep-sea trips around the clock.
Upcoming Events Nearby
Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend
September 25, 2026 – September 27, 2026 · annual
Virginia Beach's signature festival closes out September with its 52nd Boardwalk Weekend, spreading across the Oceanfront between 1st and 35th Streets. The headline draw is Neptune's International Sandsculpting Championship — 22 large-scale works by sculptors from around the world — alongside an art and craft show with more than 200 artisans, twenty-plus musical acts across festival stages, the Grand Parade, Neptune's 8K, and a surfing competition at the jetty. Most of it is free to attend, and it reliably fills the resort area for one last big weekend of the season.
Virginia MOCA Boardwalk Art Show
October 9, 2026 – October 11, 2026 · annual
One of the longest-running outdoor art shows on the East Coast marks its 70th year along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Produced by the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, the juried show brings artists from across the country to sell painting, sculpture, photography, glass, and fine craft directly to visitors with the Atlantic as the backdrop. Hours run 10am–6pm Friday, 10am–5pm Saturday, and 10am–4pm Sunday, and October's thinner crowds make it an easy, walkable browse.
Wicked 10K Weekend
October 30, 2026 – October 31, 2026 · annual
Coastal Virginia's largest Halloween race weekend starts at the Convention Center on 19th Street and finishes on the Boardwalk near 20th, with runners in costume covering the flat, fast oceanfront course for the 10K, a Wicked 5K, or the shorter Monster Mile. A costume contest and a post-race beach party with food and drink follow the finish line. Presented by Sentara and run by J&A Racing — the same organizer behind the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend — it's the Halloween counterpart to that spring race on the same stretch of Boardwalk.